# Veteran, Servicemember, and Veteran Family Care Resolution > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Aminn_chippewa_white_earth%3A0f79ccd581889e22 ## Record - **Collection:** Tribal code - **Document type:** Tribal code ## Text Page lof5 WERBC Resolution Veteran, Servicemember, and Veteran Family Care Resolution WHEREAS, WHEREAS, WHEREAS, WHEREAS, WHITE EARTH RESERVATION BUSINESS COMMITTEE WHITE EARTH BAND OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS Resolution No. O0/-/7- J0¢ the White Earth Reservation Business Committee is the duly elected governing body of the White Earth Reservation pursuant to Article VI, Section 1, of the Revised Constitution and Bylaws of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, as amended, and organized under Section 16, of the Act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984); and the White Earth Reservation Business Committee (RBC) takes this opportunity on Veterans Day, November 11, 2018 to thank our Veterans for their service, and for all that they do for our communities; and this Resolution will also be known as the, “Veteran, Servicemember, and Veteran Family Care Resolution;” and we recognize our Veterans as resilient, focused, disciplined and caring members of our communities who encapsulate our Seven Grandfather Teachings: Respect, Truth, Honesty, Humility, Bravery, Love and Wisdom; and the RBC expresses our deepest gratitude to our Veterans and their families for their sacrifices; and the RBC willingly acknowledges that American Indians serve in the Armed Forces at a higher per capita rate than all other groups in the United States of America; and the RBC takes great pride in honoring our Veterans on this day, and we recognize our brave men and women who have sacrificed through their service so that others may realize a life of freedom. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the RBC hereby expresses its honor and appreciation to our Veterans through our commitment to assisting them in accessing all necessary medical services, housing, employment, counseling and other needs; as well as accessing any and all entitlements to which each Veteran is entitled; for the purposes of this resolution the RBC recognizes laws administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) and other applicable laws affecting Veterans; and, unless otherwise specified by the Revised Constitution and Bylaws of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, or by RBC Bylaws, this Resolution specifies eligible benefits and policies for employees, elected officials, and the public; and Military Leave: each fiscal year full-time employees and elected officials under permanent appointment are entitled to 15 days (120 hours) of mandatory training period leave or military leave, with pay, to perform Active Duty, Active Duty Training, or Annual Training. Part-time employees and elected officials are entitled to military leave pro-rated according to the number of hours regularly worked; and, this policy will be retroactively applied to fiscal year 2018; and Return to Employment After Active Duty: full-time employees called to Active Duty will retain their employment. At the conclusion of service, employees will generally have the right to return to the same position held or to a similar position with years of service, rate of pay and benefits remaining the same; and Page 2 of 5 WERBC Resolution Veteran, Servicemember, and Veteran Family Care Resolution Service Connected Disability Leave: each fiscal year full-time employees and elected officials under permanent appointment are entitled to 40 hours of service connected disability leave as documented by the USDVA. Part-time employees and elected officials are entitled to service connected disability leave, as documented by the USDVA, pro-rated according to the number of hours regularly worked. Service connected disability leave may be used by a spouse or documented caregiver employed by the Tribe to help care for a service connected disabled Veteran; and, service connected disability leave may be used without regard to a Veteran’s enrollment status or employment status with the Tribe; and, this policy will be retroactively applied to fiscal year 2018; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the RBC reiterates its policies that currently provide preferences in hiring and retention of Veterans, and additional preference for Special Disabled Veterans; priority for Veterans and Special Disabled Veterans affects: employment (recruiting, hiring and retaining), training, development, transfers or promotions, and reductions in force; and Veteran Preference and Benefits: to qualify for Veteran preference under these provisions and all other benefits in this Resolution, a Veteran must possess a Discharge, Under Honorable Conditions. Veteran or Special Disabled Veteran preference shall apply to any active employee or applicant for the purpose of employment, transfers and or advancement opportunities; and, appropriate documentation of Veteran or Special Disabled Veteran preference includes: Discharge Orders (Member Copy 4 of the DD214), Summary of Benefits Letter from the USDVA, or an Armed Forces Retirement Board showing a serviceconnected disability; and Special Disabled Veteran: for the purposes of employment and all other benefits in this Resolution, a Special Disabled Veteran is considered: (i} A veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the USDVA for a disability: (A) Rated at 30 percent or more, or (B) Rated at 10 or 20 percent in the case of a Veteran who has been determined to have a serious employment handicap; or (ii) A person who was discharged or released from Active Duty because of a serviceconnected disability and compensation; and Special Disabled Veteran Hiring Authority: if an applicant or transferring employee meets the minimum qualifications for a job description, and meets the definition of a Special Disabled Veteran, a noncompetitive Special Disabled Veteran Hiring Authority appointment may occur and bypass the selection process after interviews are conducted; and, with the assistance of Human Resources, Special Disabled Veteran Hiring Authority appointments occur at the discretion of hiring managers; and, all jobs are subject to this policy; and Individual Unemployability, and Veteran Spouse Interviews: if a Veteran’s spouse meets the minimum qualifications for a job and the Veteran has received a total disability rating based on individual unemployability by the USDVA, the spouse will be provided an interview with any other applicants and be provided treatment as a Special Disabled Veteran; and if a Special Disabled Veteran has a Page 3 of 5 WERBC Resolution Veteran, Servicemember, and Veteran Family Care Resolution total disability rating by the USDVA and is determined unemployable, a spouse will be provided an interview with any other applicants and be provided treatment as a Special Disabled Veteran if the spouse meets the minimum qualifications for a job; and, these provisions qualify an eligible spouse for Special Disabled Veteran Hiring Authority; and, Active Duty Status and Servicemember Spouse Interviews: if a full-time employee that is a Servicemember is called to Active Duty for more than 120 consecutive days, a spouse will be provided treatment, for employment purposes, as a Veteran if a copy of official military orders are produced; and, this same provision applies to any Tribal member that is a spouse of a Servicemember even if the Servicemember is not a full-time employee or has no employment with the Tribe or its entities; and, the treatment will expire once the Servicemember is discharged from Active Duty status ; and Purple Heart or Medal of Honor Citations: if an applicant or transferring employee meets the minimum qualifications for a job and possesses a Purple Heart Citation or Medal of Honor Citation as indicated on a Member 4 Copy of a DD214, the Veteran will be provided an interview with any other applicants; and Calculation of Hiring Points: for the purposes of hiring points, 5 points shall be awarded for providing documentation of Veteran status with up to an additional 5 points for Special Disabled Veteran status based on percentage of disability as documented by the USDVA: 40% - 1 point, 50% - 2 points, 60% - 3 points, 70% - 4 points, 80% or greater - 5 points; and Indian Preference: Indian preference applies to all jobs, in addition to Veteran preference and Special Disabled Veteran preference as outlined above; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, for Purple Heart recipients, Medal of Honor recipients, or Special Disabled Veterans that are enrolled in White Earth as Tribal members, the following benefits apply: Fee Waivers: fees are waived for Tribal identification cards, license plates, game tags, harvest permits, and land leases; and, the RBC shall provide services to eligible Veterans for snowplowing and lawnmowing free of charge regardless of income status or age; and Fee Waivers for Spouses and Dependents: eligible fee waivers are provided to a spouse, and dependents under the age of 18; and, the waivers are provided to dependents that have a severe handicap documented by a medical provider regardless of age; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, for all Veterans that are enrolled in White Earth as Tribal members, the following benefits apply: Veteran Constituent Service: effective October 1, 2019 and every subsequent fiscal year, the RBC will provide an annual contribution of $20,000 to the Constituent Program solely for eligible Veterans and their dependents to access and utilize for purposes established by the program’s guidelines; and, the Veteran must possess a Discharge, Under Honorable Conditions; and, the benefit is available to Veterans regardless of income Status, disability status, or age; and Page 4of5 WERBC Resolution Judicial Services will establish a Veterans Court; and Public Transportation: any Veteran with a service connected disability may use Tribal public transportation free of charge; and Veteran Identification Card and Promotions: no later than January 1, 2019, the Shooting Star Casino will make available a Native American Veteran eligible Veteran or Servicemember enrolled in any Federally recognized Tribe, and it is subject to all applicable Casino policies; and, appropriate documentation of Veteran or Servicemember status includes: Discharge Orders (Member Copy 4 Military Identification Card; and, the benefit will provide a 20% discount on meals and giftshop purchases; and subject to availability, the benefit Provides up to two free rooms a month at any Shooting Star Casino Hotel for Veteran friendly and, the benefit is available to a Veteran regardless of income Status, disability Status, or age; and all other Veteran benefits (e.g., Tribal, Federal, State, etc.) do not affect this benefit for fund disbursements; and Tribal Veteran Service Officer: no later than October 1, 2019, the Constituent Program will create or assign a Tribal Veteran Service Officer Position to assist Veterans with Tribal Specific application for benefits and resources, and to Page 5 of 5 WERBC Resolution Veteran, Servicemember, and Veteran Family Care Resolution biological child will be provided treatment as a Special Disabled Veteran for life; and Veteran Family Surviving Veteran Suicide: extends all eligible benefits and foregoing policies to a Surviving spouse, dependent, or biological child for life; and, a surviving Spouse, dependent, or biological child will be provided image; is committed to assisting our Veterans in healing from any military trauma; and will continue to promote the self-respect, self-confidence and We do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by a vote of 3 for, / against, silent, a quorum being present at a special meeting of the White Earth Minnesota. wie, : Terrence “Terry” Tibbe S, Chair feos Alan Roy, Secretar /Treasufer a “ --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Aminn_chippewa_white_earth%3A0f79ccd581889e22. Public record. Not legal advice.